Friday, April 16, 2010

The title was irresistible - Lillian Too's 168 Feng Shui Ways to Declutter Your Home - so I used my credit at the local used bookstore and picked it up. But it's not the book for me, since I wasn't looking for ways like this:- Activating the mysterious power of the infinity symbol.- Creating a blue-light cocoon for protection.- Clearing negativity by visualizing rivers of light.

But this one part really resonated with me:

Do not cause yourself stress by being indecisive about what to keep and what to throw away. When in doubt, keep it. It will get junked in the next round of clearing in six months' time. ... Clearing clutter is not a one-time thing.

You'll often read advice to box up those "not sure about" items, and get rid of them if you don't go into the box in 6 months or a year. But this easier approach is the one I use in my own home.

If I follow Peter Walsh's advice to "imagine the live I want to live," it's usually easy to make keep-vs-save decisions. Does the item in question enhance that life, or not?

But I find that I can get indecisive when I'm going through a transition, and I'm not quite sure if certain things will be useful or not in the future. Also, sentimental things can cause me to pause. Do I still feel attached to that item, or is it time to let it go? Sometimes the right answer to "Should it go?" is "Maybe not quite yet."

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About this Blog

A Note on Products

Products don't solve all your organizing challenges. I've gone into many homes and offices littered with products that didn't work - or maybe never got used!

But I do believe it is important to use tools (address books, calendars, storage containers, etc.) that are perfectly suited to you, both functionally and aesthetically (if that matters to you). If you find your perfect tools, you are much more likely to use them!

(Note: Except for any clearly-noted blog sponsorships, I do not make any money on any of the products listed here. I get some free samples sent to me every once in a while, and those are always disclosed.)